In her work, Leonor Fini repeatedly explored the work of Edgar Allan Poe, whose poems and short stories make him one of the most important American writers of the 19th century. Illustrations by Fini have also appeared in several Poe editions: in "Contes mystérieux et fantastisques" (1952, Société normande des Amis du Livre, Rouen); "Œuvres imaginatives et poétiques completes" (1966, Éditions Vialetay, Paris), and in "Œuvres complètes" (2001, Éditions André Sauret). "Etude contes fantastiques de Poe" is from Fini’s late work. In addition to Edgar Allan Poe, the artist created book illustrations for the writings of William Shakespeare, Charles Baudelaire, Paul Eluard, Honoré de Balzac, the Marquis de Sade and others.
Leonor Fini is considered one of the most important female artists of the 20th century alongside pioneers such as Meret Oppenheimer and Frida Kahlo. She cultivated very close ties with surrealists like Max Ernst, de Chirico, Man Ray and Salvador Dalí and exhibited in this context on numerous occasions.
